Crysis Finally Gets Playable at 2560x1600
When NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 280 hits e-tailers next week, gamers who are running 30 inch displays with a 2560x1600 resolution, will finally be able to play Crysis with a solid framerate. In order to do so it will require 2 GeForce GTX 280 video cards running in SLI. As for the many PC gamers who own 24" displays (1920x1200 resolution), just one GeForce GTX 280 should suffice for smooth gameplay, but don't expect to be able to crank all of the settings. Although this is happy news to finally be able to play Crysis with high resolutions and high FPS, I can't help but wonder why it still requires more than the best of the best to play with settings on max. Poor game programming? Lame video drivers? Weak GPUs? Now that the patches for Crysis have come to end...will we ever know? Truly it is baffling to me that even with my Quad SLI setup I only average around 45 FPS with my 1920x1080 resolution. Every other game I play with this setup can run perfectly, but that has not been the case with Crysis. Next week I should be getting a couple of GeForce GTX 280 cards for testing and personal use. Hopefully the results will be fantastic. Check Out: Final Specs to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 Two GTX 280 are enough for Crysis "If you are hoping that a single GTX 280 will get you to more than 1920x1200, don't kill the messenger as I have to regrettably disappoint you. Nvidia claims that a single GTX 280 will be enough for Crysis at 1920x1200 that is a standard resolution for most of the 24 inch LCD's. If you have 30 inch display that supports 2560x1600 you will need two GTX 280 but again we heavily suspect that you won't be able to play with FSAA 4X enabled. This would be too much even for two GTX 280 cards. It becomes ridiculous as two of these cards combined have 2.8 billion transistors and they will still not be able to bring Crysis to its knees. The best you can hope at 2560x1600 is 2X FSAA with these two cards. We’ve had a chance to play Crysis with a single card and we can tell that 1920x1200 FSAA 4X with beta drives bring the card to its knees. Ouch, isn’t it."
Mass Effect Game Review
Mass Effect starts with the character creation. It’s a fairly flexible system; you’ll be able to choose Shepard’s gender, sculpt his mug, choose his history and psychological profile, and most importantly, pick Shepard’s class. Your class will have the biggest impact on the gameplay, as it’ll define how you will play the entire game. With three base classes and three combinations of the first three bases, there are plenty of ways to really choose a class that best fits you. After you’ve finalized your Shepard, it’s time to save the galaxy.
Things unfortunately go horribly wrong. Nihlus is killed by a rogue Spectre, Saren. Saren is going after something, something that can destroy every single sentient being in the galaxy. An entire fleet can’t find one man, but a small, single ship with a diverse set of party members can (sarcasm not intended). So, you’re off with your nice and shiny Spectre status, ready to stop Saren from completely destroying the galaxy. Heavy stuff.
Mass Effect’s narrative is at times powerful and dramatic, but it is also incredibly straight-forward, and the story lacks any serious depth. It never goes beyond “save the galaxy by stopping that really bad guy” cliché, which is a shame, because the universe BioWare has created is so incredibly detailed that Mass Effect’s world doesn’t sound improbable. It’s as if BioWare jumped into a time machine, was sent 130 years into the future, and then they stole a collection of encyclopedias and used those as their foundation for Mass Effect’s rich universe. It’s that well-realized.
Your first run through of Mass Effect can take anywhere from 30-40 hours to just under 15. A ton of the content is purely optional, and exploration alone will eat up many, many hours of your time. However long your initial play-through is, Mass Effect will only impress with its cinematic dialogue sequences, intense combat, and addicting exploration aspect. There are some definite problems with the game, but when looking at the game as a whole, it’s one thrilling experience. If you’re a sci-fi junkie, Mass Effect is a must-play. If you like shooters, Mass Effect is a must-play. If you like role-playing games, Mass Effect is a must-play. If you like… just play Mass Effect.
Clive Barkers - Jericho Review
Codemasters has teamed up with horror author Clive Barker, to create a Supernatural Horror First Person Shooter. Jericho features a very strong storyline and squad based play but has severely fallen into the shadows of the other FPS titles of this year. With a strong storyline created by Clive Barker and the team at Codemasters, will Jericho surprise and be one of the best Horror FPS games of this year?
You play as the leader of the Jericho Squad, Captain Devin Ross and your soul job is to stop the evil from escaping the ruined city of Al Khali and banish the Firstborn back into the Abyss. You start off at Al-Khali in modern times and quickly jump around the timeline to the days of World War II, The Crusades, Ancient Rome and of course the original domain of the Firstborn back in the 4th Millennium BC. To cap off a great horror game you also need the soundtrack to match every situation, be it running through a dull lit hallway or about to be jumped by some horrific looking enemy. Jericho captivates you in every situation and its vast array of music perfect for this game.
The AI for the enemy’s is pretty decent too, and the graphics look very good they don’t have many tactical skills but they try and take the injured team members or the ones with heavy weapons out first. Basically they are just the same old enemy’s you see in any game, with no flanking tactics or abilities.
The lighting effects in Jericho are brilliant and very realistic, which you would hope for because you are running around with the flashlight half the time due to the dark and eerie levels of this Horror Game. Jericho is one of those games which have fallen into the shadows of the other FPS titles to launch this year and hasn’t really been mentioned as much as it deserves. Jericho is simple amazing and one of the best horror games of 2007. Jericho is one of the most atmospheric horror games I have played and is one of those FPS Horror fanatics must check out.